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Ella's Classic Red Ball Birthday

Monday, March 14

For those of you who may have missed the big news...
since I didn't officially post it here on my blog yet...
I'm excited to share with you that I am now a blog contributor for one of my very favorite entertaining/party sites on the web: 
*pinch me please*!!

I'm honored to be working alongside two other fabulous blog contributors:
Courtney from Pizzazzerie and Jessica from Modern Moments Designs.

I was so thrilled to finally be able to share the details from Ella's Classic Red Ball Birthday as my first official post for HWTM.

And....
I was also able to share some photos of the party product I've been working on having patented.

Exciting stuff!!!
So that means the day has finally arrived here on the blog...
the day to finally be able to share all of the details from Ella's party I hosted back in November...
and the day for the "big reveal".


So here we go...

With my daughter Ella turning two, there were several different themes I could've chosen based on her interests.



I finally decided on the one recurring theme that continually excited her and happened to be the most simple: "play Balls".

With the knowledge the theme wasn't "unique" in the sense that there have been "Ball-themed" parties done before...
I was up for the challenge to make it my "own" and customize it for my own tastes.

I decided on a "Classic Red Ball" party focusing strictly on a red and white color palette.

I wanted it to be fun and feminine and I kept the invitation design clean and simple.
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The dessert table is always my favorite part of any event.
It allows me to tie in the theme of the party through table decor and my favorite part of ANY gathering: 
the desserts.
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I incorporated the red classic balls onto the table, used a white back drop flanked by red polka dot fabric and added splashes of red and white polka dots where I could.


Dessert table items included:

mini red velvet cupcakes topped with a red gumball...



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displayed on clear acrylic personalized Pastry Pedestals™
(that's my new little creation I'm having patented)



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mini cupcakes displayed on cake plates
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giant jawbreakers set on the table (as decor only)
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red cake balls from Michele at Crazy for Design
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designer oreos from Sweeties by Kim
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custom coordinating lollipops provided by Vintage Confections
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custom designed sugar cookies lovingly baked by the Cookie Jar
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dried cranberries and sunflower seeds (Ella's favorite snack)
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cranberry jello
served in mini plastic shot glasses
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peppermint marshmallows from Vintage Confections


red chocolate covered sunflower seeds
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peppermint sticks
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licorice sticks
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The drink station included
Shirley Temple Sodas for the older crowd
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and Fruit Punch flavored Juicy Juice for Ella and her peers
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Although it's not pictured, there was also a mini meatBALL sub station in order to offer something savory to guests.
(a huge thanks to my Mom for making the meatballs).


Age-appropriate activities included:

"Ball" print-out coloring pages with RED crayons
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RED playdough
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Paddle Ball with RED balloons and homemade paddles 
(over-sized popsicle sticks attached to paper plates)
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Bean bag toss game with RED polka dot bean bags
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the custom wood cut out was designed by a neighbor and the bean bags were sewn by my mother.

RED badminton rackets for the older children
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Assorted RED Playground Balls in the back yard
(these doubled as favors too)
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Other favorite party details:
Mini spoons - perfect size for the birthday girl and other small guests
(Polka dot box provided by Party Starters)
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Red balloon-filled ceiling over the dessert table
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RED polka dot drinking straws
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ROUND RED hat boxes used on the dessert table.
I filled paper pastry cups with white table sugar to display the jawbreakers.
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Guests were sent home with

custom lollipops



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along with RED balloons from the party decor, 
their choice of any RED playground BALL and any of their favorite leftover sweets.


Here's the birthday girl enjoying her day...decked out in a headband from
ella8495

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Wearing a tutu from Tiny Belles Boutique.
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One of my fave pics of the day...
It may have been her 2nd birthday
but this was her FIRST cake pop. *wink*
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The coordinating thank you cards sent out after the party were the perfect way to tie everything together...
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And of course wallet size photos of the birthday girl from the actual birthday party 
were included in the thank you cards
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I had a BALL  putting this together for Ella.
It really turned out to be the perfect theme for her and we had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends.

A HUGE thank you to the vendors/businesses who contributed their time and talents to help make everything extra special...

Invitation, Party Printables, Thank You Cards • Pen N' Paperflowers
Pastry Pedestals (Pen N' Paperflowers) available for purchase in April 2011
Red & White Polka Dot Boxes • Party Starters
Red & White Cake "BALL" Pops • Crazy for Design 
Custom Sugar Cookies • The Cookie Jar 
Chocolate Covered Designer Oreos • Sweeties by Kim 
Mini Tasting Spoons • D&G Occasions 
Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes • Cupcake Delights
Custom Lollipops • Vintage Confections 
Peppermint Marshmallows • Vintage Confections 
Red & White Polka Dot Straws • the Sugar Diva 
Oversized Jaw Breakers • Cracker Barrel 
Round Red Hat Boxes • Ikea
Polka Dot Fabric used in Backdrop • Ikea 
White Panel Back Drop • Lowes  
Flower Headband • Tadpole & Lily
Red Tutu • Tiny Belles Boutique

Happy Monday everyone!
I hope you enjoyed your weekend.

KEEPING IT REAL
It's about time I posted this party...right!?
And I'll have more details posted on the Pastry Pedestals for you soon!!
Still working on finalizing packaging!

My heart goes out to those effected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

gorgeous party!

Nicole @ Tradewind Tiaras said...

So cute! Adorable in every detail (and there were so many!) Gorgeous styling, great concept, fabulous photography--it's everything you could possibly want in a party!

Malu Boutiques said...

This came out BEAUTIFUL! You did an excellent job! Congrats on your new contribution ;) Just awesome.

Anonymous said...

Really cute. What creative ideas!

Erika

Mallory said...

Congrats on the new gig! Your stuff is always amazing so it's a great fit for you at HWTM! :)

~ LaVonne said...

WOW! What an amazing party!! Congrats on the HWTM "job"! :D

Kurt said...

Fabulous party!
Year Old Birthday Party Ideas

Moore Minutes said...

Wow, wow!! That is the MOST exciting news to be a contributor there. I have a little *dream* of just having a party featured there, let alone being a contributor. That is huge news...and very well deserved! You are one of my top favorites. <3 Your style is simple perfection and I fall in love over and over again. This party is no exception. It is beautiful.

Lauren @ Crave. Indulge. Satisfy. said...

What a beautiful party! I have been anxiously awaiting for you to post all the details and pictures! You really out did yourself with this one and I'm sure Ella had an awesome time! Love the red ball theme! And your Pastry Pedestals are such a clever idea, best of luck with this new product!

Anonymous said...

I am soooo excited to see the GORGEOUS outcome of this special party! The details you think of never cease to amaze me and I thank you for including our cookies in your special occasion. I love how they add to the appeal ;)

Best of luck with your new ventures. You are special at what you do and deserve this in every way :)

Jessica Deane said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this party! Will be using some of your ideas!! I found u by searching for shirley temple party... hehe. I'm doing a "shirley temple" themed party for my daughters 2nd birthday party. She has a head full of red curls.. so I thought the theme suited. I love the red & white dots. :)

Naomi Goodman said...

This is gorgeous and I love the color red for a little girl's party. It is perfect and sweet. Not to say that little girl is such a cutie!

Jessica Lauren said...

This party is absolutely gorgeous! I love what you put together, and the most simple idea of paper plate paddleball is amazingly genius! I'm featuring you as a favorite find this week at http://copy-cat-crafter.blogspot.com/2011/06/five-favorite-finds.html
~*Jessica Lauren

Anonymous said...

This is the cutest idea for a party! I would love to do something similar to this for my daughter's birthday. I especially love the 5 red balls on your dessert table, but can't seem to find them anywhere. Would you mind sharing where you purchased them? Thank you!

Unknown said...

Anonymous...it was exceptionally hard to find balls in the Fall. However, I was able to find some leftover summer ones at Target and all of the other ones I got from a store called U.S. Toy. It's a local store for me but you can also order from them online. I hope that helps...

And thank you for your sweet comments about the party...

paper straws said...

Who would not like to be invited in this party?!!! Awesome theme and decor. This inspired me a lot.

Lindsay said...

I sent this link to my sister because her daughter loves red. Fantastic pictures...when I look at them and at all the splashes of red and white I feel giggly and happy inside! Great job!

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